Antifreeze Testing

[Glennman]

Hello again everyone!

I need to top off my antifreeze for a trip I'm taking in about 2 weeks. I got a hold of the company I purchased my '02 MCI from to find out what antifreeze they used in the bus. Current fluid has a red color and looks really clean. However, I want to top it off before my trip (about 300 miles total), but they didn't have any specific information except to take a sample down to a local truck outfit and have it tested.

Is that recommended for a top off? I would really like to drain it all and change it so that I know what I have, but that's not going to happen before the trip. I'm thinking I would use Power Cool according to some earlier topics on the board, but the last thing I want is to mess up the PH balance.

Any advice on this?

[luvrbus]

Power Cool is the DD antifreeze and red in color, owners of 60 series seldom use any other brand,it usually cost less from DD than you pay at Walmart for other brands .   Do your own test you can buy the strips from Napa or Amazon ,me since it is summer time and you plan on changing anyways top it off with distilled water and enjoy the trip

[bigred]

I use NAPA Diesel antifreeze ,If you have a friend at napa .you can come out pretty good pricewise .Depending on where I was .I have paid as little as elenen dollars a gal and as much as twenty two dollars a gal at the Napa store on the outer banks. You can also get the test strips at a NAPA store ,This antifreeze is red and has all the additives for Diesel engines.

[luvrbus]

It is common pratice to top off with distilled water, adding a lot of water just raises the freezing point has nothing to do with the PH sense distilled water is acidic that is why it is used in battery's and antifreeze

[chessie4905]

Distilled water is neither acidic or base. It has a neutral ph.

[luvrbus]

Distilled water is neither acidic or base. It has a neutral ph.

Better check that one John distilled water has a PH of 7 and the acidic is why it is never used in chillers for air conditioning. Also the reason you don't drink distilled water

[dtcerrato]

Basically distilled water is neutral PH of 7 until it sits with air then can slide slightly acidic due to CO2 gas desolving into it forming carbonic acid. Don't know how that works when used to dilute antifreeze concentrate as we have always used distilled water to do so. Antifreeze concentrate is alkaline at PH 8 to 8.5 so the mixture of antifreeze & distilled water sounds like the right path for coolant PH

[luvrbus]

Basically distilled water is neutral PH of 7 until it sits with air then can slide slightly acidic due to CO2 gas desolving into it forming carbonic acid. Don't know how that works when used to dilute antifreeze concentrate as we have always used distilled water to do so. Antifreeze concentrate is alkaline at PH 8 to 8.5 so the mixture of antifreeze & distilled water sounds like the right path for coolant PH

Series 60 like between 9.5 and 10.5 PH

[epretot]

I'm just a painter...

But doesn't ph of 7 make it neutral?

The ph scale is 0-14...

[luvrbus]

I'm just a painter...

But doesn't ph of 7 make it neutral?

The ph scale is 0-14...

Yes it does ,but you can open a jug of distilled water and in 2 or 3 mintues it will 8 or higher. I have friend that since we live in AZ that thought 80% distilled water to 20% antifreeze was good,I had to replace 8 injector tubes in his 8v71,stright distilled water is rough on copper.Detroit never told you use distilled water in the older engines I don't know where that came from unless the antifreeze manufactures started it   

[dtcerrato]

The higher the PH number the more alkaline it is the lower the number the more acidic it is.
Distilled water is good to use because it's pure water, no minerals like spring water. Tap water is alkaline due to water treatment of chlorine. Minerals in cooling systems is voodoo due to electrolysis. There is already dissimilar metals in cooling systems, IE: copper, brass, aluminum, steel, alloys, etc. so the less minerals in solution the better.

[dtcerrato]

Series 60 like between 9.5 and 10.5 PH

How about the vintage IL671 dry liners?

[luvrbus]

How about the vintage IL671 dry liners?

10 is a good number for engines.seldom do I use distilled water R/O works for me there is not much difference except price at Tenneco we used R/O for our cooling towers for the 5500 hp compressors and the chillers   

[Glennman]

I ordered the test strips from Amazon and they just came in. I'll be testing hopefully this weekend.

[luvrbus]

The higher the PH number the more alkaline it is the lower the number the more acidic it is.
Distilled water is good to use because it's pure water, no minerals like spring water. Tap water is alkaline due to water treatment of chlorine. Minerals in cooling systems is voodoo due to electrolysis. There is already dissimilar metals in cooling systems, IE: copper, brass, aluminum, steel, alloys, etc. so the less minerals in solution the better.

Chlorine is a temporary substance in water treatment it is complety gone in less than 24 hours so the water from your tap is not always high in alkaline.